James Sykes is a left-arm spinner who made his Leicestershire debut in a 50-over game against the touring Australians in 2012 and claimed the wicket of Shane Watson with the second ball of his fourth over. He went on to make seven CB40 appearances and took 2 for 24 on his Twenty20 debut at Nottinghamshire. He finished the season with a five-wicket haul in the Second XI Championship final, albeit in a losing cause as Kent scraped home by one wicket. He was rewarded for his first full season on the staff with a new two-year contract.